By Tom Greenwood

Reversing decades of trends, churches are reclaiming cities around the world and rethinking buildings in the process. From the 1970s through the 90s, the suburbs were the hotbed for church growth and both new church plants and older urban congregations hurried to claim large tracts of property on the leading fringes of new development to “escape” the inner cities. But churches are turning back to the cities, back to the downtowns and urban neighborhoods with missional zeal.

“For us — we made the decision to remain in the center of our city,” says Dennis Wiles, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Arlington, TX. “We are across the street from City Hall and sandwiched in between it and a thriving university. Our decision to remain in this setting is connected to our sense of heritage and stewardship for this congregation, founded in 1871.”

Inner city planting

Other churches are purposely planting in the inner cities. Fellowship Church, which first sprang up in the suburbs of DFW, has created downtown campuses in both Dallas and Fort Worth as a strategic plan to reach the wave of new urbanites moving back into those cities. In both places, Fellowship Church took existing office/warehouse buildings and created a place for thousands of city dwellers to connect with Christ.

Growing and building a church in an urban area brings a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. The Beck Group, a national architectural and construction firm, has encountered these challenges in a variety of situations, from those like Fellowship Church to historic congregations who are reimagining their aging campuses such as First Baptist Dallas.

Some of the best design lessons for the new urban church, interestingly, have come from designing churches in South Korea. In cities like Seoul, where the population density is four times greater than New York City, churches have learned to build and thrive in very confined spaces.

“Due to less land and municipal requirements for higher density restrictions on development, churches in Korea seem to be better at doing more with less” says Michael Kaiser, a lead designer with Beck. One amazing example is SaRang Church in Seoul, where we are designing a new campus for 30,000 persons on 1.7 acres, or roughly one city block. These are some of the bigger discoveries in planning buildings for the urban church.

Conventional church planning requires one acre of land for every 150-200 persons, due to parking requirements and zoning ordinances in most communities. In contrast, zoning in most business districts or dense urban areas requires comparatively little on-site parking. For churches’ parking needs, urban areas often have parking garages or commercial lots virtually unused on weekends or evenings. Public transportation can also be plentiful in urban locales, and the renewed interest in downtown housing make neighborhoods easily walkable.

Fellowship Church’s location in downtown Dallas provides space for 1,500 persons per worship hour with only two acres of land. This is possible because of several negotiated agreements for shared parking and an efficient three-story, 43,000-square-foot building.

The flow of the building

In function and appearance, the typical church building model is turned “on its head” or vertically in many urban locations. The experience of people using the buildings, from adults to children, is much different as they must flow up and down between multiple floor levels. This need for large amounts of vertical circulation is more akin to a sports area or civic center, where ample stairs, elevators and even escalators may be needed. Providing way-finding or visual queues in the buildings helps orient people as to where and how to move, which can be a challenge in a multistory campus.

Organizationally, worship rooms may actually go on upper floors, with children’s education spaces below. Street-level floors are valuable for more public-oriented spaces such as bookstores, cafés or gathering areas. Finding the right floor level and mix of spaces is unique in each case and can have a huge impact on the overall functionality of the campus.

To reach the city, one has to engage the city. Older church architecture in cities can tend to be heavy and fortress-like, but urban churches today want to communicate welcome and transparency. That means creating plazas, glass buildings, fountains and other spaces that invite the public.

By leveraging their facilities, churches can help fill a need that most public-sector urban revitalization plans can’t provide. In a time where so many cities are trying to revitalize their older downtowns as livable, sustainable communities, churches can add another layer (albeit a spiritual one), to this idea of mixed-use development.

While churches today struggle to bring “community” to the church, urban churches can bring the church to the community. First Baptist Church of Arlington has seen the tangible benefits of a community building approach in their ministry. The church was a forerunner in developing urban ministries to such as Mission Arlington, a child development center, community recreation classes and counseling services, which use their facilities on weekdays.

Active members

“Staff members in our church are actively involved as civic leaders serving on boards and committees within our downtown community. We have a positive relationship with our city, chamber of commerce, and UTA (University of Texas at Arlington)” says Terry Bertrand, First Baptist Arlington’s business administrator. The church has also been invited as a key contributor to new master plans developed by the City of Arlington and UTA (adjacent to the church’s property).

When the church undertook its own master planning and expansion plans, its community involvement opened opportunities for several key property exchanges and shared use agreements with the city and university. Additional benefits gained include weekend access to a 1,000-car parking garage (at no cost), the ability to close streets and connect major portions of the church’s property, and a new $4 million city park and outdoor concert pavilion literally on the church’s front door step.

Perhaps the idea of the urban church is not something new, but rather rediscovering something essential to our Christian mission. Wiles sees it this way: “When you drive through Arlington’s downtown, you see the centers of government and civic life, you see the banks and businesses that represent the center of commerce for our community, and you see the steeple and buildings of the First Baptist Church. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is just as relevant for this community in the 21st century as it was for Rome, Corinth and Antioch in the 1st century.”

Tom Greenwood is a principal and leader in the Church Services group at Beck Group, Dallas, TX. 
 www.beckgroup.com

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Planning: when ‘type A’ churchmen do a ‘fix’

Timothy L. Cool has assisted many churches with their facilities planning as president of Cool Solutions Group in Charlotte, NC., where he is a member of megachurch Elevation Church, and was part of the startup of Next Level Church in the same city. He has put his years of experience into a book, Successful Masterplanning: More than Pretty Pictures (iUniverse Inc., 2010). He responded to a few questions from Church Executive.

How does planning differ from master planning?

When I refer to master planning we are taking it one step further and adding in a futuristic component. Master planning is not unique to just property and facilities, but to other endeavors such as growing a company, a congregation and the like. In this instance, we are looking at the long-term development of real property based on our current understanding of the “facts” and vision that God has given us.

Where do values and vision come into master planning?

Vision is the heart beat of any master planning process. If there is no vision, then why plan; just keep on doing what you’re doing. If your ministry has a vision that is supported by values, an understanding of your unique DNA and target market, then you have the foundation from which to develop a master plan for your church — not the church down the street or across the country. Each ministry, and thus master plan, is as unique as our physical DNA and needs to be addressed as such.

What are common mistakes that churches make in planning for their futures, whether for construction and facilities, or for programming and mission?

The most common issues we have seen is they immediately want to “fix” the problem. The majority of church leaders are Type A males with a propensity to fixing things. So that carries over to their leadership at the church and during discussion about facilities.

We are out of kids’ space — build a new wing. Well, what if there are other issues associated with being out of kids’ space? Is this an indicator that you are attracting more young families? Could the socio-economic make-up of the church be shifting? Are you currently using the entire campus to its highest and best use? Is there a “programming” strategy incorporated that would take the pressure off the physical space?  Stop; take the time to ask the right questions.

What are the common issues churches have for managing growth and organization challenges?

If you can understand your DNA and your target market, then your space can be planned accordingly. I have helped my church in the last two building projects. We know that we do not want a venue larger that about 900 seats with just enough ancillary space to accommodate the children’s program that supports worship.

We plan to be multi-site – no doubt about that – it is our unique calling for this region. Knowing this early in the master planning process helped us to design the structures to fit us, our vision and our ministry. We did not need to design a 5,000 seat worship center or have a plethora of adult education classrooms. You need to define who you are, and let that define your physical plant.

You write that the master planning process is “the foundation of any expansion program.” Can you explain further?

Have you ever been to a church campus and wonder why the most austere structure is in the most prominent position of the campus? I have seen this hundreds of time and it is general because they built their first phase in the easiest (or least expensive) place to start with without much thought of the future. That is a prime example of the physical ramification of not having a master plan.  www.CoolSolutionsGroup.com

By David Holland

Nestled in South Florida’s sun-drenched Fort Lauderdale area, Church by the Glades had two problems as it headed into the year 2008. One of the challenges was the kind of issue most pastors would love to face. The other problem was much less desirable.

The happy challenge facing Pastor David Hughes and his congregation was space-related. The young church was growing wildly and seemingly couldn’t add services fast enough to accommodate all the new families and individuals that were choosing to call the church “home.”

Significantly, this boom wasn’t a result of “transfer-growth” in which mature Christian families move to a more appealing church. The vision of the church was to reach unreached and unchurched people, and that was precisely the type of individual that was fueling this church’s membership explosion.

Best way to grow

By the spring of 2008, the church was holding five main services in its 900-seat ministry facility on the weekend and wrestling with a decision about the best way to accommodate the growth and touch more lives. The traditional approach was to simply build a bigger auditorium and expand the educational space for children and youth accordingly. An alternative some media-savvy churches have pursued in recent years is to establish satellite campuses in locations away from the main church and push overflow growth toward those sites.

Ultimately, after much prayer and deliberation, the leadership of Church by the Glades decided to do some of both. They settled on a hybrid approach that called for building a new 2,000-seat worship center and expanding their preschool area, while also funding the establishment of the first of the church’s many anticipated satellite campuses.

Such bold plans tend to come with hefty price tags. In this case, once the architects, planners and builders had their say, the projected need was $16 million. That’s where the other challenge emerges.

By early 2008, the booming South Florida housing market had gone bust. A staggering number of homeowners suddenly found themselves “underwater” where their mortgages were concerned as a massive wave of foreclosures swept over the area. Furthermore, by April, Florida was facing its highest levels of unemployment since 1976. This ethnically diverse church found itself in the heart of one of the hardest hit areas in the entire nation — right along with Detroit, Las Vegas and sections of California.

Daily headlines shouted of economic gloom and consistently predicted additional financial hardships on the horizon. Each evening’s newscast seemed little more than a long litany of dark stories about mortgage defaults, business closings and layoffs.

The leadership of Church by the Glades confronted an obvious question: “Did it make any sense to push forward with a capital campaign in the midst of such widespread economic turmoil and pervasive uneasiness?”

Abundant fruit

Again, after much prayerful deliberation, the consensus answer was “yes.” The need was too great; the fruit being produced among the people of the congregation too abundant, the God they served too powerful to be deterred by fear. The church engaged fundraising consultant The Gage Group for its capital campaign.

Still, for the leaders of Church by the Glades and the team they had assembled, the question became, “In the middle of this crazy environment of fear and scarcity, how can we help move people into a spirit of generosity and trust?”

The church initiated what some call a “reverse offering.” As one local newspaper headline described it after the fact, “Local Church ‘Passes the Plate’ to Give Away the Offering.”

In the weekend services of May 10-11, the church passed out envelopes containing cash to each individual in attendance. Those envelopes contained varying amounts ranging from $5 up to $1,000. The rules of the exercise were that each person was on their honor not to spend the money on themselves. Nor were they allowed to simply give the money back to the church. They were to pray for guidance and use it to meet a need in the life of another person.

The resulting effect on the congregation was nothing short of phenomenal. The church created a special Web site (www.MyGoBigStory.com) in which members could post their thoughts and experiences about the exercise.

When the capital campaign officially launched in the autumn of that year, even as the national recession was intensifying, the response from the congregation was remarkable.

The church has received more than $11 million in pledges from the church body. And an initial offering raised more than a half million in cash.

As a result, the church is moving quickly and confidently forward with its plans for expansion. And not a moment too soon. Church by the Glades recently added a seventh service to its weekend schedule!

David Holland is a freelance writer in Dallas, TX. [www.DavidAHolland.com] [www.churchbytheglades.com]

By Tom Greenwood

Inspiration for innovation can come from unexpected places. For a South Korean congregation, the spark for innovation was fueled by leading American churches’ missional architecture.

Shinkwang Church is a Presbyterian congregation of 8,000 worshipers each week, located in Iksan City. When the church had outgrown its property, a delegation from the congregation visited the U.S. to tour facilities of leading congregations. The goal was to discover how facilities could augment ministry and mission.

In late 2008, the congregation opened its new campus, designed by The Beck Group. The functions of worship, children and youth ministries are familiar, but the design solutions were anything but typical. The 500,000-square-foot facility features a 2,500-seat sanctuary, 300-seat chapel, multipurpose gym and wellness center, children and youth centers, cafeteria, bookstore, three indoor playgrounds, offices, an underground parking garage for 500 and an international-sized soccer field on top of the garage.

Going vertical

A congregation contemplating such an ambitious development would normally look for a large tract of land, perhaps in a newly developing suburb. Shinkwang had only seven acres, still one of the largest church parcels in Korea, in an already densely developed city. And while a typical suburban church might build 50,000 square feet on seven acres, the Shinkwang design provides 10 times that amount. Going vertical with a four-story structure, utilizing underground parking, and locating near mass transit stops was essential to reducing the footprint of the church.

Clarity of circulation and movement is designed to allow the campus to function vertically instead of just horizontally. Lobbies and corridors are roomy, but so are stairways. Thousands of people flow upward through massive sunlit-stairways, from underground parking and public transportation at the street level, to upper floors with ministry spaces.
Communicating relevance and authenticity to its culture was also important to Shinkwang Church. The four-story structure exhibits a powerful contemporary style with exposed concrete structure and use of composite metal panels. Yet the building is not cold to the touch.

Wood is a sacred natural element to Koreans, and it was incorporated in many forms through the building interior. Floors, furnishings, as well as special wall and ceiling treatments utilized wood. Cherry wood and granite native to the country were used to provide detail through the space, as was modern Asian styles of lighting and furnishings.

Many prayer closets

To support the daily prayer ministry of the church, so vital to many Korean Christians, 20 prayer rooms, totaling more than 20,000 square feet, were provided a prominent location. Rooms range in size from individual prayer “closets” to 200 person rooms for community prayer.

Significant investment was also made to make advanced technology a part of the everyday church life. HD video, sophisticated audio and LED theatrical lighting systems complement flexible functionality for worship and other ministries or public events.

Whether it’s innovative design to reduce carbon footprint, thinking vertical in facility function or connecting to its culture, Shinkwang Church offers a great example of innovative, transformational design. Even more importantly, churches everywhere can learn from the risk-taking attitude of the Shinwang congregation, which would not let traditional cultural ideas of ministry and church buildings limit their missional purpose.

Their risk is already being rewarded by a hugely positive response from the community, and other churches in Korea are taking notice.

“We have had so many visitors from other churches,” says Shinkwang’s senior pastor, Rev. Duck Soon Chang. “They have commented that our church has opened up a new chapter in Korean church facilities.”

Tom Greenwood, AIA, is director of Church Services at The Beck Group, a Dallas-based architecture and construction firm that serves churches throughout the world. [www.beckgroup.com]

By Robert Shook and Michael White

The spiritual connection between light and faith begins with the images called to mind by the familiar passage of Genesis: Let there be light. Light is used in many passages in the Bible to express the spirit of God manifest in the world.

As we begin to think about how to use light in a house of worship, there is a rich tradition to draw on. Light evokes emotional responses in people. A certain degree of care must be exercised to provide the right measure of emphasis and support without crossing over the line to the sensational or calculating.

Worship spaces today are used for a wide variety of functions, in addition to regularly scheduled worship services. Most churches host wedding and funeral ceremonies and many also present music and theater events for their immediate community. Lighting can fulfill many different events to address these programmatic needs.

Lighting hierarchy

Another important function of lighting is to support the visual composition of the worship space. Lighting designers often speak of the lighting “hierarchy” in a particular space. This refers to which surfaces, objects, or areas should be brightest, which should be secondary, and which should be tertiary. This lighting hierarchy should support the needs of a church, and at the same time enhance the worship space’s overall design, including permanent and temporary religious and architectural elements.

Lighting can also be used to focus attention. In many churches the lighting is modulated throughout a service to raise and lower the lighting levels in particular areas such as the pulpit, choir and altar to better focus the worshippers’ attention on the speakers, singers, or musicians leading a particular part of the service. If there isn’t anyone occupying the pulpit, there is no reason for it to be brightly illuminated, which would only steal attention and waste energy.

In addition, lighting is used to set the appropriate mood for a particular service or event. For regular daytime services most churches prefer that the worship space be relatively bright and well balanced. But there are many types of services that benefit from much lower lighting levels, or from lighting settings that emphasize particular aspects of the worship space, such as a cross, shrine or an architectural element.

Layered lighting

Lighting for architectural spaces is often referred to as having layers: different lighting techniques or effects within the same space that make up the total lighting environment. It is typical for worship spaces to include one or more the following layers:

• General lighting

• Front lighting

• Highlighting of religious elements

• Highlighting of architectural elements

While it is possible for a single lighting treatmenttofulfillmore than one layer at a time,most of the time each layer must be addressed separately with a discrete set of fixtures in a specific location within the worship space.

General lighting. One of the most basic functions involved in all types of activities that occur in a worship space is reading. Congregants need to read materials related to the service such as Bibles and hymnals. Celebrants need to read from their reference materials and notes. Choir members and musicians need to read their music. Ideally, this illumination should come from directly above at all times, so that shadows are not created that make reading difficult.

In most cases, this light should be direct light shining down into the space, not reflected indirectly from the ceiling. It is also important for this layer of light to be relatively bright and uniform, and special attention should be paid to ceremonial areas, particularly the center aisle where bridal parties are being viewed and videotaped for these once-in-a-lifetime events.

Front lighting. It is important to be able to see the worship leaders clearly during a service as it is to see performers during a theatrical performance. This layer of light assures that celebrants/performers are brightly lit from the same direction that the congregation is viewing them from the front. Seeing facial features has a direct effect on how well people hear, so good lighting is a positive step toward better understanding.

How bright the front lighting should be depends on two criteria: church size and technology. The greater the distance to the back row, the brighter the front lighting will need to be. Also, video cameras for image magnification during services — generally require brighter illumination than congregation viewing alone.

Pastors often complain that the front lights are glaring in their eyes. The fact is, if the front lights are not creating a certain amount of glare to the pastor, then the lights are probably not working effectively. Often the glare caused by the front lights can be reduced by locating them to the left and right, rather than directly in front.

Highlighting of religious elements. Many worship spaces prominently display specific two-dimensional and three-dimensional elements that represent aspects of their bases for belief: Crosses, shrines, murals, tabernacles, lanterns, screens, Stations of the Cross, and others. Lighting designers usually consult with worship representatives to best understand the relative importance of these elements to a specific church community, and to what degree they should be featured visually.

Highlighting of architectural elements. A church’s architectural design establishes a particular aesthetic that is meaningful to the worshipers. Contemporary churches in particular are often meant to appear welcoming, transparent and open to many viewpoints. Elements of historic churches such as vaulted ceilings, arches, columns, murals and organ cases often require special lighting to enhance their importance.

Video is an essential element in most contemporary churches and in many traditional churches as well. This has a direct effect on the lighting. Video cameras generally require higher illumination levels, and a different type of lighting than direct viewing by the congregation.

Proper lighting for congregational viewing is directed from a high angle to create shadows in facial features, which makes those facial features easier to read from a distance. Proper lighting for video is generally directed from a lower, flatter angle, to fill in the facial features for a more natural look when viewed by video.

Churches that make extensive use of video usually have large video displays in the vicinity of the platform. Most of these displays are projection screens, either front projection or rear projection.

Simple to complex

Lighting control systems for houses of worship range from relatively simple systems that offer a choice of several push-button preset scenes, to more complex systems that permit great flexibility but require skill to operate. The specification is driven by the programming needs of the congregation and the available budget.

Often, contemporary worship spaces are referred to as theaters and have true stages. Frequent changes to the lighting are required as the focus of the service moves from the minister to the projection screen and then to the choir and on to the baptismal. Some evangelical churches need to support the extensive use of video and dramatic presentations as part of the regular services, as well as, for weekday evening services and special evening events in the life of the church.

Another consideration for contemporary worship spaces is that in the creation of a theater space, very little natural daylight can be found within the church. A good deal of thought and collaboration with the design team is necessary to illuminate the space appropriately using electric lighting.

In the design of new worship spaces, as well as the renovation of existing spaces, it is becoming increasingly common for professional lighting design consultants to play a significant role on the design team. Architects and electrical engineers have a basic knowledge of lighting, but lighting designers can bring a much higher level of knowledge and experience to bear for this important aspect of worship space design.

Robert Shook is a founding partner, and Michael White is a senior lighting designer for Schuler Shook, Chicago, IL. [www.schulershook.com]

By Brian Smith

Many churches use drums as part of their worship bands to add excitement to the service and help increase teenage and young adult participation. Unfortunately, most houses of worship were not designed for these loud percussive instruments and the result is excessive volume levels and unintelligible vocals.

Fortunately, there are now several possible solutions available to you that weren’t available a few years ago. If possible, the acoustics of the room should be improved by adding acoustic absorption baffles to the walls, ceiling, or wherever possible in order to reduce the reverb time of the room. Reverb time is the amount of time it takes for a hand clap or other loud sound to dissipate and ideally should be between two and three seconds.

There are several professional companies available that perform this type of work. After addressing the acoustic problems of the room as much as possible, some praise bands have invested in an electronic drum set to try to solve the problem. A good quality electric kit has the advantage of giving the sound engineer a lot of flexibility with the drums in the PA mix.

Natural sound and feel

Disadvantages include having to deal with a fairly complex system of wiring and a less natural drum sound and feel that many drummers dislike. Good quality electronic drum kits start at more than $3,000. If you decide that you want to keep the sound and feel of a real drum kit but just want to lower the volume level and clean up the overall sound, you may want to try out one of the new portable isolation enclosures now available.

Most systems combine clear acrylic shields with absorption baffles and come in a variety of configurations and sizes depending on the need. The acrylic shields act as a see-through acoustic barrier and sound reflector while the baffles are designed to soak up excess sound before it can escape into the room.

Most isolation systems, sometimes referred to as “IsoPacs” or “Isobooths,” significantly reduce the amount of stray drum sound that sneaks into the vocal mics and instrument mics. The person in charge of sound can bring the vocals up in the mix without sound from the drums and cymbals bleeding into the mix. Just add a kick and overhead mic to bring a controlled drum presence back into the PA mix and you’re ready to have a great sounding service at a reasonable volume level.

Brian Smith is president of ClearSonic Mfg., Inc., Hudson, OH. [www.clearsonic.com]

David Evans

Changes in our culture, technology, and even the global influences around us all, generate a deeper level of thought as ministry spaces are designed for today’s church-goers. The design team, architect and owner should push and pursue a higher relational and experiential aspect for spaces where ministry occurs.

These elements now command a higher priority place in design and delivery of ministry, more so than just the mere look of the space. So how does space take on a character of impact and experience?

In a culture that yearns for connection and belonging, this may be the most important spatial creation a church can offer. Joseph Myers in his book, The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community and Small Groups (Zondervan, 2003), offers the ideology that there are four spaces that we all belong to at any given time or in any given relationship — public, social, personal and intimate.

Encourage relationships

I believe these relational spaces are rationalized and supported through the way we design ministry space. For example, the front porch of public space could be a warm, inviting atrium or lobby where relationships are encouraged and community, conversation and connection are developed and supported.

The furnishings should include seating groups arranged to create various intimacy levels. This encourages and reinforces the opportunity to have conversation and connection with others. Churches should intentionally build areas for different levels of interaction with an emphasis on natural surroundings. Also opportunities for worship and teaching should be 
incorporated but it would all be in the context of communal space.

Adding smaller, traditional-style areas that promote family and togetherness of just a few individuals or small groups, help support the various levels of connection between public and interpersonal space.

When it comes to sacred space, it’s important to understand that any space could be used for a worship setting. Our cultural trend is moving us from the need for designated worship areas to openness about where and how worship takes place. I believe corporate worship of some type will always have a place in the body of the church, but small group worship and individual worship are becoming legitimate forms as well. In this larger gathering or community space the large group progresses together, while smaller groups and individuals in other areas of the building have the option of self-directed worship experiences.

These more intimate spaces for worship could include hands on, multi-sensory physical elements as a part of the worship experience. These ministry spaces discussed should facilitate a blending of the virtual and the physical.

Flexibly configured corporate worship spaces should move those worshipping from artistic digital presentations to an interpersonal connection with God that is so important to the entire worship 
experience. Moveable seating and staging allow for innovative floor layouts and interaction between the worshippers. Multiple projection screens, sometimes surrounding the worship space, will add to the layout flexibility and reinforce the important art forms of both still shots and video.

Bricks and mortar

Bricks and mortar are probably not things of the past. We still need to stay dry and warm. However, these physical elements are no longer the single design tool used to create space. In fact, they may have less importance today for a culture that cries out for relationships and experiences just about anywhere they go.

Jim Couchenour, director of marketing and ministry services for Cogun, offers a list of key questions to keep in mind when considering ministry space design:
•    Does the interior promote a sense of awe and wonder?
•    Does the space allow for worship through the arts?
•    Are physical icons included that people can touch and experience?
•    Does the space provide an environment to worship God?
Today’s houses of worship are more than just a pretty space; they are environments filled with rich opportunity for experience and connection, promoting a sense of community and relational value.

David Evans is the president of Mantel Teter Architects, Kansas City, MO. [mantelteter.com]

Photo courtesy of Michael Spillers.

An Arkansas church creates a multi-venue campus with several worship centers for specific groups.

By Raj Dayal

The leadership of Fellowship Bible Church, Little Rock, AR, made a clear point to emphasize a sense of community with their new church. “The campus is uniquely designed around a multi-venue worship experience, with each expressing a varied style of worship and community,” says Wesley Walls, designer and principal-in-charge, Wilcox Group Architects.

One of the challenges of this project was that the original campus of Fellowship was sold to an adjacent private school, and this required an accelerated move schedule. According to Walls this resulted in a total design-construction schedule of less than 24 months from site selection to purchase to move-in.

The church campus includes a 1,400-seat worship center, an 800-seat additional worship center called The Warehouse and a 400-seat glass chapel. The student ministries at Fellowship also include a 400-seat worship center along with activity spaces. The campus has large themed indoor and outdoor playgrounds, two cafes, a bookstore and an outdoor amphitheater.

A true public space

“The intervening architecture between the myriad of spaces are intended to weave a specific commonality,” Walls says. “This was realized very much like a public street or commons, which becomes a true public space where community becomes a real experience.”

The building materials are comprised mainly of stucco combined with detail areas of wood, cultured stone, glass and steel. The materials had to fit with the overall multi-venue campus design as well as be cost-effective and available based on the time constraints.

“Wood has been used as extensively as the budget allowed,” Walls says. “This material serves not only as the structural and aesthetic feature of the building entries, but also as providing warmth and character to varying extent in the worship venues —specifically a highlight of the chapel.”

Each worship venue has been deliberately designed to cater to a different worship style. “The chapel is designed as a smaller, more traditional style with vertical proportions, high clerestory windows and stained wood,” Walls says. “The worship center is the largest space and is geared towards a contemporary worship experience. The worship center includes fixed theater-seating with contemporary features, finishes and colors and an advanced AV system.

Multi-million dollar high-definition

Technology is used extensively throughout the campus. While the worship center uses a multi-million dollar high-definition system to broadcast sermons to other venues and off campus, flat-panel displays are distributed through every area of the church. Wi-Fi access is available campus-wide and the church also uses electronic building security and access controls.

The Warehouse worship venue is a flat floor space with a lower level and an intermediate and upper mezzanine. “Primarily, padded chairs are used in this venue to allow for flexibility. However, vintage reclaimed pews and even recliners are also scattered throughout to add visual interest and variety,” Walls says.

As the flow of the church campus was crucial to this design, light and how it moves through the spaces plays an important role. Natural light is an intentional feature of the concourse and goes throughout the facility with the use of clerestory glazing and skylights. However, according to Walls, the light becomes minimized as the technical requirements of the various venues are recognized.

The design of Fellowship is contemporary in form. “The size and scale of such a large project would have rendered traditional forms impractical and demanded a more modern solution,” says Walls. “The leadership of Fellowship clearly conveyed that they were not about ‘high church’ and were more intent on projecting an image of a progressive, community focused ministry.”
Project information

Architect: Wilcox Group Architects, Little Rock, AR
Project designer: Wesley R. Walls
Project manager: Josh Newton
General contractor: CDI Incorporated, Little Rock, AR
Project completion: May 2008
Project size: 195,000 GSF
Project cost: $38,400,000
Directional leader and teaching pastor: Tim Lundy

Photos courtesy of Acoustic Dimensions, Dallas, TX, unless otherwise noted.